CURRENT STATE OF CBS AND SPBS IN BULGARIA
The purpose of the 2015 inspections was to ascertain and analyse the current condition of these
institutions and to establish whether previous recommendations had been acted upon.
GENERAL FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Children continue to be placed in the same institutions indiscriminately, without distinction
as to the nature and degree of the offense. As a result, children who have committed the
so called status-related offences, such as escape, vagrancy, begging, etc., and children
victims of violence live together with children who have committed an offence comprising
the factual elements of a crime;
The facilities are generally in a poor state of repair – poorly maintained and extremely
worn out. The food is unvaried, and the intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy
products, and meat is Insufficient;
Teachers and students alike demonstrate utter disregard for the education process. It is
performed perfunctorily, without taking into account the students’ individual
temperaments, learning styles, and needs. Little use appears to be made of activities,
which should be an integral part of the overall plan for working with the children to further
their development, such as art therapy, occupational therapy, etc.;
Correctional education programs and activities are unproductive due to the shortage of
highly skilled psychologists. The MoES has not developed a methodology to regulate
casework practice with children, which results in the establishment of dissimilar practices
regarding the psycho-educational evaluations, individual case plans, and reviews of
correctional education outcomes;
The employees are demotivated. There are still no rules in place on hiring professionals
competent and skilled in providing social support and care to the children and adolescents
placed in these institutions;
Detailed regulations and guidelines are needed regarding the employability of children and
adolescents in these institutions, given that their engagement in paid work is a real social
fact even now;
Violence – both psychological and physical – remains a serious systemic problem in most
boarding schools. There remain unlawful punishments not provided for in existing laws and
regulations;
There remains a lack of rules and standards on the equal treatment of children placed in
boarding schools;
Health care to children in conflict with the law placed in SPBS and CBS is provided under
the conditions and rules applicable to the civilian health system and the process is similar
in terms of quality;
Only half of the boarding schools have a health room and healthcare professionals on
staff. In an effort to help resolve this problem, the NPM has met with the mayors of the
municipalities hosting boarding schools with no medical staff to discuss the feasibility of
hiring medical practitioners;
There has been an increase in cases of children with serious psychiatric and somatic
disorders placed in the boarding schools;
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